Last week, as kids started their back-to-school routines, we posted some tips to help keep everyone safe as they get to and from school, but what about the not quite school-age kiddos spending their days at either a daycare or preschool? Whether you are a childcare provider, or parent, ensuring that young children have a safe and secure environment to learn and play in is sure to be high on your priority list. This week, we will be covering some strategies that daycare and preschool facilities can employ to strengthen childcare security, ease parents’ apprehensions and provide premium services.
Access Control
The drop off and pick up times are critical time for childcare security as they are not only hectic, but also have an increased risk of an incident. By installing an access control system, there are many features that can provide layers of protection and simplify the drop off and pick up procedures.
Keyless Entry – By putting security in parents’ hands they are empowered to take additional responsibility for ensuring their children’s safety. Having a keyless entry system means that the outside doors of the facility can always be locked and parents can provide either individual pin codes, access cards, key fobs or even fingerprints as their credentials for entry.
Entrance Call Station – Should someone forget their access credentials, or have another legitimate reason for coming to the facility, such as a delivery or potential client, an entrance call station allows them to push a button and speak with a staff member prior to being granted access to the building.
Time Monitoring – In addition to limiting access to the building with a keyless entry system and/or entry call station, the time of arrival and departure of everyone coming and going can be recorded. This not only helps to keep the building more secure, but also provide evidence of a child’s attendance if there is ever a dispute or concern.
Surveillance
Just as important for protecting children and staff of daycare and preschool facilities as an access control system, is a surveillance system. Beyond knowing who is around the property, they can also give parents visibility into their child’s day, ensure proper employee behavior, and provide reputation protection if ever accused of wrongdoing.
Outdoor/Property Cameras – Installing cameras on the outside of the facility, enables staff to ensure that there are not any unauthorized people lurking around the facility without having to leave the building, especially important prior to bringing children outside to play. Additionally, visible cameras are proven to deter unwanted criminal behavior.
Entryway Cameras – Installing cameras at the main entrances of the building, especially in conjunction with an entrance call station, allows staff to perform a visual screening of anyone trying to enter the facility and provides the daycare or preschool with a visual record of who was dropped off and picked up, and by whom.
Indoor Cameras – While it may seem excessive to have video surveillance cameras installed inside of the facility, where children are, there is no such thing as being too safe and there are many significant benefits to parents and staff members. With cameras in place, parents can be given a remote-access login and have the ability to view either live or recorded video of their child, giving them the peace of mind that they are being well cared for. Also, it places more accountability on staff members to follow correct procedures for both safety and quality of care. If there is ever an issue or accusation of unacceptable behavior on the part of a staff member, having the surveillance video as supporting evidence can be crucial in either righting the situation, or preventing reputation damage as the result of a false claim.
By implementing some, or all, of these security solutions, the safety of children, parents and staff will be considerably improved and providers will be offering their clients premium services that can help to set them apart from their competitors. There are plenty of things to worry about in this world and for a parent, dropping a child off at daycare or preschool should not be one.
If you are interested in learning more about these, or other, security solutions for your childcare center, we would be happy to provide a one-on-one consultation to answer any questions, and help determine what system(s) would best fit your needs. Please reach out to Peter Reed, VP of Sales, or your regional integrator, at 1-800-370-3473.
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